WOE vs. Diet

[gkeenan]

Ok. Since I've been here I've heard the majority of you stating this is a woe (way of life) and not a diet. Now honestly, how many of us started Atkins for a diet...I for one did. I am beginning to understand that this does not work quickly, at least not as quick as other diets might, so the disclaimer should read if you want to lose your weight in less than a year try something else. From everything I was hearing in the beginning I was under the impression that this would be a healthy fast way to shed the lbs...not so. I'm not speaking for anybody else here, but I am in this to lose weight. I have minuplated my system now not to tolerate carbs which is fine, but at what cost? I love Atkins and even when I've tried to ween myself off the diet I always come right back (for those of you who have done this you know that as soon as you start eating the carbs again the weight will come right back on).

Not to mention that since I've been here I have reduce my protein considerably...so this is not only low carb but low protein and heavy on the fat...conventional thinking tells me this is not right. I can honestly say I've never doubted Atkins as much as I do now, and yet I have no intention of stopping... :daze:

Gail

[Jannie]

Hi-

Sounds like you're a little bitter. Unfortunately, there is no way of life whereby you can eat as much of everything as you want, and not gain weight.

Before I started Atkins, I read up on it on the Atkins Nutritional Website, then decided to try it. I think of this process as me learning how to eat in a way that's healthy for my body in the long run. I'm 52 and I want quality of life for my remaining years, so I'm willing to learn how to do that.

I have a lot more energy than before, and my aches and pains are diminishing rapidly, also. I not only look better, I feel better.

Only you can decide whether you want to go on and off of any habit in your life. When I quit smoking 5 years ago with the help of the patch, I decided that it was a forever decision, because I never wanted to go through nicotine withdrawal again! Same thing for me with Atkins-my carbs will have to remain low for the rest of my life, and that's OK with me.

Good Luck to you :roll:

[iBelieve]

And I think it's important to define what KIND of carbs our bodies can tolerate. For myself, I can eat plenty of fruit and moderate amounts of whole grains and I don't gain an ounce. But I'm trying to lose weight now, so I am forgoing those things until I reach goal. I believe that once I reach my goal I will be able to start adding in small amounts of "healthy" carbs, and maintain my weight with no problem. I've never overdone it with those foods anyway - my biggest enemy is sugar. That is one carb I will never be able to eat and keep the weight off! I like to think of it as an allergic reaction, instead of never "being allowed" to eat sugar again. It's just something I have to avoid for the sake of my health.

Pay attention to how your body reacts to certain carbs, it will tell you when it doesn't like something. That will give you a better guide to follow for when you reach your goal. :)

P.S. I absolutely started this as a diet! It was only when I saw the improvement in my health that I really started to think I could eat this way for the rest of my life! ;)

[Pat S.]

Hi Gail,
I know what you are talking about I to have started this WOE many times since 1972 but this time I am going to have to stay the course. I started it originally as a diet many times but it has turned in to a WOL because I always come back to it. While eating this way I feel good, sleep well have more energy after I get through the detox stage.
My Dr. was a Chemist before he became an Internist and he did studies on dieting and Lowcarb in particular. He said lowcarb was the only way to go if you can stick with the WOE to lose weight and keep it off. There is a "but" if you can't it is best to try something else because after you deprive your body of carbs and then start eating them again your body will grab hold of them and won't let go hence weight gain. The original weightloss and more. Pat S :wave:

[pegva]

I don't know how anyone can start this WOE/Diet (whatever!), follow it faithfully and say it might not be healthy!?!?
Do you listen to your body? Are you not feeling better? In most cases, dramatically better... I know I am.

conventional thinking tells me this is not right
Well I don't know about you... but conventional thinking hasn't gotten me "SQUAT"!

[BarbCA]

I have been on this WOE for only 3 weeks. Today is my 22nd day. Even though I didn't lose pounds this week, my body fat is down 3% since the start and my jeans are looser. I think that's good and I'm going to contiinue to try to follow this if possible.
I resisted the temptation of my daughter's home made banana cake today so I guess I can do it. :D
Actually not gaining is more important than losing right now. Yes I want to lose some but I'm so tired of being hungry almost all the time on any other plan, even "normal' eating, that it's just a pleasure not to have that gnawing in my middle.

[lkonzelman]

Well for me I knew I would always have weight issues.... so although I was just trying the "Atkins Diet" to see if maybe this would be something that worked for me... I knew some diet would always be in my life since I always gained so quickly.

I had been on various low fat/low calorie depravation diets of some kind for over 10 years and knew that I would always be depriving myself something.

So when I found Atkins and realized I no longer needed to feel deprived.
I could eat whenever I was hungry.
I no longer had to feel guilty about eating "too much".
Suddenly I loved salads and veggies which I didn't know because low fat dressings suck.

I was and am more than overjoyful to realize that I have found my WOL.

Granted... I do look forward to maintenance and upping my carbs occassionally but I know that keeping my weight in check will always be a motivator in my life.

[Pat S.]

BarbCA,
I feel the same way I would love to lose lots of weight but I am so happy just not to be gaining. The fact that I don't have to feel hungry hasn't slipped by me either. ;) Pat S.

[gkeenan]

Jan, no I wouldn't say bitter, Just finally realizing that Atkins is not what I originally thought it would be and that is disapointing. Conventional thinking has gotten all of us to whatever age we are. I'm finding on this diet that I not only have to reduce my protein and carbs but have to stay the course of 1300 calories also. Believe me I would be a fool to say Atkins does not work, I just wish all of this had been said before I started. I've learned so much since I've come to this site (and I'm glad I have) it has just soured the entire Atkins experience for me. I can't go to another way of eating now, I've been doing this for so long any carbs would mess up my system at this point and make me gain all the weight back...my only choice is to get below my ideal weight (about 10-20 lbs) and then go to another woe...that way I will have room to grow without getting too big...lol.

Don't get defensive people, this is just an observation from someone who does Atkins also. I'm not trying to make anybody defend Atkins.

Gail

[summer*rai]

Atkins is going to have to be a way of life for me....I have ate carbs...and low fated myself into Diabetes, at one time 980 Triglicerides, and over a 300 cholesterol level...I had to find a way to stop the madness....I continually have monitored my sugar throughout the days starting on Jan 17th , this year....If I leave the carbs off my sugar remains normal...If I add too many, then it goes up...My diabetes is now under control with Atkins, and my triglicerides are now at 193, and my cholesterol is 206....the proof isn't in the "puddin"....this may not be the case for some...but for me...it's my only chance..

[Crimson]

Gail, you've made some very good points. I actually decided to give in and make this my WOL after straying and gaining back 6lbs in less than 2 weeks. I don't think I would ever have started had I known the impact it would have once I decided to give into an occasional binge, or take a couple weeks off. But, I haven't lost weight any other way, and for now I'm happy making this my WOL as long as it's working for me. The hardest times are when take-out ,like Chinese food (this happened last night), is brought into the house and as hungry as I was, I had to find and cook something "legal"... and eat alone. I absolutely hate this WOL during those times. :(

[Lisa N]

Originally posted by gkeenan
I just wish all of this had been said before I started.

How your body was going to react to low carb would have been difficult, if not impossible, to predict Gail. Not everyone's experience on low carb has been the same as yours. Many find that they can eat far more calories on low carb and still loose weight than they could on low fat. Still others can eat all the protein and low carb goodies they want and still keep losing.
Some find that they do have to count calories, although most don't. So much depends on your body and your dieting history.
My point here is that everyone's experience is different and what works (or doesn't work) for me, or anyone else for that matter, may not be the same for you.

I've been doing this for so long any carbs would mess up my system at this point and make me gain all the weight back

That may or may not be true. I hope you're not trying to do Atkins NO carb. If you follow increasing your carbs gradually as Dr. Atkins suggests instead of just jumping from 20 grams a day to 100 grams a day or more, you may find that you can eat more carbs on maintainance than you thought possible. Gradual is the key. Remember the rule of small: Small changes, small mistakes. Big changes, big mistakes.


my only choice is to get below my ideal weight (about 10-20 lbs) and then go to another woe

That may be the only choice you can see right now, but it's not your only choice.


FWIW...I didn't start this as a diet. I knew when I began that it would be how I was going to eat for the rest of my life. The alternative for me is to go back to how I was eating (standard ADA diet) and prepare to go on insulin for the rest of my life. Low carb as a lifestyle is far more attractive to me than a life of injections several times a day and all the complications of diabetes.

[gkeenan]

Hi Lisa, I realize that how my body reacted to low carb would have been hard to predict, but it would not have been bad for the good doc to tell me that once you have rid your system of carbs that's it...no going back...my experience has been great, I'm not as small as I'd like to be 18 months into this but the experience has been wonderful...I've lost 50 lbs, I have tons of energy, not to sure about the sleeping part (I just have bad sleeping habits) my mother died of a heart attack two years ago and I made a commitment to myself that I would lose the weight and get back to being me...I've always been the small one in our family even when I was at my largest...diabetes was not a concern of mine...the carb statement was true, if I stray to far from my given amount of carbs I get the runs...sorry all but that is a fact of this diet. My intestines feel like they are going to explode. Very very painful. I'm not sure where the NO carb stuff came from...I don't even think it is possible to have no carbs...just about everything we eat has carbs in it...I've never stated that to be a fact for me, nor have I ever considered it...nor do I jump from 20g a day to 100g a day, not sure where that came from either. I'm a long way from maintainance...I've got 47lbs to go :rolleyes:

I guess I'm just feeling like I'm a prisoner in this diet. I did not have the experences that others had on low cal diets, I did well on them and lost without being hungry...I went into a long period that they no longer worked...Atkins has been the only thing that has budged my weight in about six years. Believe me when I say I love this woe, I'm just realizing how much time and effort I've put into it and it just does not seem to be balancing off. I'll be better tomorrow... :D

Gail

[summer*rai]

I also want to say that I have added carbs as the atkins plan has suggested...using the atkins baking mix, the strawberries, etc..I think we have to be creative ...I really got sick of just eating chicken a nd salad...I have a variety of veggies and meat now...I'm trying to find what I can eat and still loose weight and maintain my sugar levels...I make pizza out of the low carb tortilla's...with veggies, and meat and cheese....wonderful...I eat tacos made from them,....I haven't added, but plant to spagetti wash...with limited sauce...I think eating out is fairly easy....At a chinese restaurant there are dishes that you can order and still be fairly low in carbs, just leave off the noodles, rice, and sweet dishes...I loved the peppered shrimp that is served here in this area....I still eat at my favorite mexican restaurant...faita salad, chicken with melted cheese on top..or taco salad...and not eat the bowl, and have them leave off the refried beans. .etc...I ask them to leave off the beans and rice and add stir fried veggies...usually zuchinni squash, peppers, and onions...I still get the "taste", that I love...and I am able not to eat the chips....Even at Mcdonnalds, one can choose the salads, or if you want a hamburger....order a double meat cheesburger with everything on it...then tell them to leave off the bun...same way at subway....Just think creatively...I think it is a fairly good lifestyle for many that cannot handle too many carbs....

[Lisa N]

Originally posted by gkeenan
Hi Lisa, I realize that how my body reacted to low carb would have been hard to predict, but it would not have been bad for the good doc to tell me that once you have rid your system of carbs that's it...no going back...

the carb statement was true, if I stray to far from my given amount of carbs I get the runs...sorry all but that is a fact of this diet. My intestines feel like they are going to explode. Very very painful.

Gail...it seems to me like you are looking at this as an either/or situation. I don't think it's necessarily true that you won't be able to increase your carb intake on maintainance. I think it's very unlikely that you will have to stay at 20 grams of carb or less to maintain. I think it's probably likely that you won't be able to go back to a high carb way of eating, but given what you said about the intestinal symptoms, I'd say that's not necessarily a bad thing; your body obviously doensn't like them and is telling you that with the diarrhea and discomfort. Many people have a sensitivity to grains and other high carb foods and never realize it until they stop eating them for a time and then try to go back to them. How can that be? I'm not sure, but I'll give you an example. My husband is very allergic to all tree nuts. He was eating them right up until the day he had allergy testing and found out that he was allergic to them and then stopped immediately. There have been one or two times since then that he's eaten nuts by accident (didn't know what he was eating had nuts in it) and have a violent reaction to them both times. Why did he react this way to them now and not earlier? His body wasn't used to them anymore.

[gkeenan]

Hey Lisa N...boy you might be right about maintainance but I'm so far away from that that it is not even in my eyesight... not thinking about maintainance, have to deal with the today and now. I'm hoping that I will be able to ease myself back into a carb life after I've gotten to my goal weight, but for now it's count count count... :daze:

Gail